Klüverbaum Marineschnitt

Klüverbaum Marineschnitt is a pressed Virginia blend Tabac Benden had prepared with an eye toward the Navy Cut tobaccos of the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century maritime tradition. A measured proportion of Perique is added to selected Virginias, and the mixture is formed into a relatively firm cake using historic English presses located in Koppe. Its name comes from the jib-boom, the spar extending over the bow of a sailing ship to which the headsails are attached.

The cake is sliced and rubbed out for packing; the tight pressing intensifies the taste. Virginia's dark, bready sweetness is topped by Perique's pepper and plum side, and the smoke is medium-bodied. It suits smokers who enjoy the unflavored Virginia-Perique style and don't mind working with tobacco in cake form.